Don’t Waste Your Money: April 2017

I’ve been trying alot of stuff. Either by sample or full out purchasing the product. It’s starting to get warm in my neck of the woods so my curly hair will be making a comeback! As a result I’m trying new things. Meaning there will probably be an influx of hair product reviews/opinions. With that said lets get into some, Oh, hell no’s for the month of April.

*all of the images are stock images as I don’t have the actual products anymore*

Madam C.J. Walker

If you are not aware, Shea Moisture recently released a new commercial that rubbed me the wrong way (If you haven’t seen it, just Google it. It’s all over the internet). As a result I’ve decided not to buy their products anymore. That decision may change later on but as of now this is where I am. As a result, I’m trying to find some replacements for current Shea Moisture products I use.

Over the past weekend I was in Sephora returning some stuff and browsing when a friend introduced me to Madam C.J. Walker hair care. I’d never heard of the brand but decided to buy 2 products to try. One was a leave-in, the other was a moisturizing creme.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil & Murumuru Oils Defining Butter Creme – $24

Bassica Seed & Shea Oils Silkening Leave-In – $26

I used both products in conjunction with each other and did not like the result. After that I decided to do some YouTube research. I found that PR packages had been sent out about a year ago so the brand is at least a year old, maybe older. Alarms started sounding when none of the 5-7 reviews I watched were stellar. The overall feedback was the products were okay but no one stood on the mountain top and yelled about how amazing anything from the line was.

Trying my hardest to like the brand, I decided to give each product a try separately. Nope! Still no likey! The silkening leave-in did not make my hair feel moisturized or conditioned at all and the moisturizing creme actually made my hair feel very dry. It was the weirdest thing. At $26 and $24 respectively I expected a noticeable difference which unfortunately I did not get from either product.

Living Proof Curl Leave-In Conditioner – 8 oz, $26

I placed a small order during the Sephora VIB sale (I did a video for which I will link to at the end of this post). Part of my order was a leave in conditioner from Living Proof’s curl line.

Most people either loved or hated products from this line from the reviews I read. There were not a lot of in-between opinions. So I was pretty nervous but I decided to order it anyway. The leave-in conditioner was one of the more highly rated products.

The conditioner actually worked really well. My hair felt super soft, my curls were pretty defined, the only downside was the smell. It has a STRONG perfume fragrance that does not dissipate. I put the product on my hair at night. I expected the scent would be gone by morning but no mam! I got whiff’s of the fragrance throughout the entire next day. I could not handle it which is why I decided to return it. At $26 for only 8 ounces, I just didn’t think it was worth forcing myself to endure the smell even though I loved the results. Back to the drawing board.

Nude Skincare – 3.4oz, $36

I’ve come to the realization that I am an oil cleanser type of girl. It took me a while to get on board, however once I did, I was hooked! Oil cleansing gets my face super clean without stripping the natural oils from my skin which I love.

However this oil cleanser from NUDE skincare is HORRENDOUS! It’s by far the absolute worst cleanser of any form I’ve ever tried.

The way oil cleansers typically work is:

Step 1: Apply oil to dry face

Step 2: Rub oil all over to breakup makeup, dirt, or environmental debris

Step 3: Add water to hands and apply to face to turn oil into a milky consistency

Step 4: Rinse

Voila! Upon rinsing you will see the makeup going down the drain. The issue with the oil cleanser by NUDE is that it does not turn into a milky consistency when water is added. It stays the oil consistency making it impossible to rinse off. I read the instructions multiple times, thinking I was missing something. There is no secret step, it just does not work!

Caudalie

As always, there are 2 birthday gift options from Sephora this year. One is from Caudalie which contains a moisturizer and serum which is what I chose. I don’t hate either item, I’m just not impressed with either item. I’m going to try to swap it out for the other option which is by Tarte and contains a blush and liquid lipstick.

Well that’s it for this month. I hope I helped shed light on something you may have been eyeing or curious about. If you’ve tried any of the products mentioned let me know what you thought.

As always, make sure to Like, Share, and FOLLOW before you go. As promised, below is the mini haul I did on what I ordered during the VIB sale if you’re interested.